Improvement in piers and bridges



N. PETERS, PHDTULIYHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEELOE.

WILLIAM H. WOOD, OE nUDsON, NEW JEEsEr.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIERS A ND BRIDGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,747, dated October2l, 1862.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WOOD, of Hudson city, in the county ofHudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Construction of Piers and Bridges; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this specification, in which--y Figure 1 is a vertical sectionof my invention, taken in the line m x, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a verticalsection of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section of a portion of. the same, taken in tho line e c,Fig. 1. V

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The object of this invention is to construct piers and bridges in such amanner that they will be very durable, equally so as stone, and

much less expensive, not greatly exceeding the cost of good woodenstructures of thekind.

To this end the invention consists in the employment or use of hollowcast-iron columns, filled with concrete or cement, and supported onwooden spiles below the surface of the bed of the river or stream. Thecast-iron columns support iron girders, on which an arched iiooring ofmasonry rests, said iiooring being covered with sand or cement, on whicha trap-rock or other suitable pavement is laid, as hereinafter fullyshown and described.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents aseries of wooden piles,which are driven vertically intothe bed of the stream or river at such points where it is designed tohave the cast-iron columns of the pier or bridge rest. These piles,after being driven in the bed of the river or stream, are cut off, sothat their upper ends will be about flush with the upper surface of thebed, and they are cut away circumferentially at their upper parts, so asto leave shoulders a some distance below their upper ends, to serve assupports for the hollow cast-iron columns B. (See more particularly Fig.l.) In order to cut the piles in this manner, and adjust the columnsproperly on them, coffer-dams are of course employed.

The cast-iron columns B may be of any suit -able dimensions. Forordinary purposes, how

ever, those of two and a half feet in diameter will probably be used,the height being vari able, as circumstances may require. 'Ihe` they areplaced in rows, so as to support girdp ers D, slightly arc-hed, as shownin Fig. 1. These girders D are rolled, so as to be of I form in theirtransversesection, as shown in Fig. 2, and upon them there are laidsimilar but lighter girders, E, placed at a suitable distance apart, andthe spaces between filled with arches of masonry, as shown at F. On theupper surface of this arched flooring there is laid sand or cement G,and upon the latter is laid a trap-rock or other suitable pave ment,H.

The girders D E are supported by braces I, the lower ends of which aresecured to the cast-irons columns B in any proper manner.

`These braces may be of cast or wrought iron,

and the end girders, E, of the flooring are braced by horizontal bracesJ, in order that the thrust of the arches F may be efteotually resisted.These arches F (shown in Figs. 2

'and 3) are important, as the stability of the iiooring depends greatlyupon them. rIhe castiron columns B, at the sides of the pier or bridge,extend upward above the others sufficiently high to retain in properposition stone curbs K, (See Fig. l.)

I propose to use cast-iron mooring-posts L, cast with a flange at theirlower ends, andthe latter bolted to the girders E, as shown by the ldotted lines in Fig. l.

By this mode of construction an extremely durable pier or bridge isobtained. There are no combustible materials used in its construction.The piles A being below the bed. or bottom of the river or stream, areinaccessible to the worms, and the columns B,

as well as the girders D E, may be protected from oxidation by asuitable coat of paint, or by galvanizing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim vas new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is-

A pier or bridge constructed of hollow able pavement, H, is laid,substantially as cast-iron columns B, fitted on Wooden piles herein setforth. A driven into the bed of the' river or stream, i lled withconcrete er cement G, and sup- XV' H' WOOD porting, by means of bracedgirders l) E, an Witnesses: f arched llooring, F, covered with sand orcem- R. GAWLEY, ent G, on which :L tmp-rock or other suit- TIMOTHYSHINE.

